When do you start to learn Tai chi, Kungfu? Why do you want to learn? (7)

Hi, Guys, When do you start to learn Tai chi, Kungfu? Why do you want to learn? My colleagues teased I am having the old people life.
I get up early, go to bed early every day. In every early morning I practice Tai chi with a group in a park, I am the youngest. Looks like Tai chi is an old people activity in China. How about it in your countries? I love to do Yang style tai chi chuan, but I never tried to remember any set’s name since I learned last August. I can’t completely finish to practice the whole sets(85sets) by myself by now. What an embarrassing thing, right?
Don Newton • Greetings, I also agree with both. But to put it simply, you have to have balance in everything that is to work in perfect harmony. Taiji is the Yin, where as Kung-fu is the Yang. Most younger students are attracted to the fast hard external components of kung-fu but years later will realize the value of the soft slow internal of Taiji. With the wisdom of age one seems to place less prominence on the martial aspects and more on a blissful life which may account for the popularity amoung the elderly.
Djinto Tjandra – ?? ? • I did not agree that Tai Chi is old life style. The Kung Fu is for teenagers in China and kid as well. I learned Tai Chi in my 20′s while I’m attending City College of SF and SFSU because I like martial arts include Karate and Judo. I also know that if you know Tai Chi, it’s part of Qi Gong and it’s easily practice Qi Gong for healthy mind, body and soul as Hollistic Health.
Andrew Denney • Lots of really sound points being made. I have practised martial arts since age 4, mainly Japanese and latterly Mizong Kung-fu and Yang and Chen Taiji. It all has value.
Everyone at both the Mizong and Taiji Classes are young and our Shifu is old! His father was still teaching kung fu at over 80 years of age, and I don’t think age is an issue. Sure there may be stigmas but this is a personal journey so its nobody else’s business Cathy, just yours mate. Stick with it, it’s worth everything you probably think it might be and more.
Glenn Hall • Hi Cathy, First, I want to say I like all of your comments about the internal and external arts. Studying the Taoist way is a life time journey. Remembering names like snake creeps through grass does not cultivate chi.That was just how they got their point across back then. In fact we started making up our own names until we could remember the traditional ones.Practicing the moves no matter how much you remember does cultivate you life force.Each part of a form gives you a different outlook on how to express your chi and you will have some parts of form that you gravitate to, while others areas you don’t connect as well at least for the time being. Old people that study chi continue to evolve and become better and better. They enjoy the outer expression of the internal energy moving through their being.
Other people in the park don’t even understand what you are reaching for in your practice. Keep up the good work.
Ron Aviles • It’s a personal journey for everyone. For me, martial arts was initially a means to gain confidence against bullying (as a teen entering high school and growing up in a hard core urban neighborhood) and to improve my health (was asthmatic as a preteen) and morphed into a lifestyle where martial arts values are woven into the fabric of my life. Martial arts is part of the balance (spiritual, physical and mental) that I seek daily. As I have gotten older and as my body and mind changes, my martial arts practice has adjusted accordingly and now, I am focusing on traditional Wu Style Tai Chi which enhances my knowledge and practice of northern mantis, my main passion, and the various minor styles and techniques that I have absorbed from my life experiences.
I am finding that Tai Chi is embraced by both young and elderly people who are:
1) looking to improve their mental and physical health via low impact exercise
2) looking to enhance their practice of other internal arts such as yoga or meditation
3) external martial arts practitioners who are seeking balance via internal martial arts.
I feel that success is determined by the ability of a teacher to share his intimate knowledge of breathing, movement and application with a student who is dedicated to persistent and consistent daily practice.
I offer my appreciation to everyone who is sharing their views!
Uwe Schwenk • After studying MA for over 4 decades now, almost 10 years ago I switched from Karate to Kung Fu, because it suits me better due to the moves are being more fluent and the whole aspect of traditional Kung Fu. Having spent a number of years in China and having had great instructors was also a factor. I am now at a stage where I have come full circle and study and refine Tam Tui (10 Road) only. It is one of the cores that are being taught less and less (even in China) and I lucked out to find someone who is competent and a good teacher. At the same time, I am also starting to document it for future generations.
It is an interesting challenge but also provides me personally with great satisfaction. I have to say however, that I am lucky in as far to have family support since the whole family is practicing martial arts. My son and the Wife are studying Kenpo. My daughter stopped for a while because it would cut in to her social life (Ahh the joy of teenagers…)
Why do I study it? It provides the calm and inner peace needed in today’s hectic World. In addition, as you all know most of the principles of martial arts, regardless of style, can easily be adapted to the work environment and it makes for a more relaxed approach to many things.

 
(from Traditional Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan Group in LinkedIn)


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